This Is My Real Life

Here we go. First week of school. Maggie in second grade and Jessie in preschool. How is this even possible? Both jumping back into this tenuous routine we have established, even temporarily until we can close on our old & new homes. [Which I cannot wait to get into our home here in Brookings, if only to have time in my day to sit and drink my coffee. Leaving the house at 6:45 a.m. does not leave much time for that.]

These pictures were taken as they/we were rushing out the door and are a little blurry, which says something about our life right now. We are living out of boxes and suitcases. I'm feeling a bit like a freeloader eating my in laws food, using their laundry [and Bonnie sometimes doing it for us]. Yet, I feel oh so blessed. The Lord has given us a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Grandparents doting on their granddaughters in ways that they [and I] never imagined.

 

My prayer the beginning of this school year:

Bless us oh Lord

Let us be the parents you have intended for Maggie & Jessie

Watch over them in their new schools

Guide them to godly friends

Keep them physically and mentally safe from harm

Help them to make good choices

Help us to be their parent and not their friend

Show us what each needs to feel

Loved

Secure

Trusted

a blessed part of this family

And a princess of the King.



I Will Say To My Soul

Soul, be satisfied. Look around. Your faith has brought you here. You are blessed beyond measure. A new adventure. A loving husband. Bright daughters who make you laugh and delight. A roof over your head. Family who open their doors. Friends who give up a Saturday.

Be content. You have been blessed with much. So much more than you deserve. You have not gotten here on your own, but only by God's grace. 

Let go. This new adventure is a new chance. Take what you have learned and let the rest go.

This was based on a prayer writing prompt from Rachel Hackenberg. I wasn't sure if I was going to write a prayer from this prompt, until Pastor Tim preached on the same subject. I knew the Father was trying to speak to me through this.

Psalm Writing

While cleaning & packing today, I ran across an old prayer journal from 2001. I had taken a Praying the Psalm class at the church I attended and wrote a few. I wrote this one while on a Women's Retreat in Colorado and it spoke to me again today. It is dated April 29, 2001.

I can hear it in the trees

Praise the Lord

I can hear in the bird's song

Praise the Lord

I can feel it in the breeze

Praise the Lord

I can see it in the mountain tops

Praise the Lord

I can feel it in my soul

Praise to the Lord from whom blessings flow

Until my cup runs over

and my heart can take no more.

For Sale

I haven't written much about our upcoming move. I'm still a bit torn about going back to South Dakota, but with every sign pointing to this being the right thing to do ... Well, you can only argue with God for so long. So, once we made the decision to move back so Rocky could start his dream job, we put our beautiful home on the market. We have had a lot of interest, but no offer yet. I believe that God has something amazing planned, but 40+ days of keeping our home show ready is starting to wear on all of us. Ready to try anything, today, I purchased a Saint Joseph icon. This is a tradition started by Catholic nuns in the eighteenth century who would bury St. Joseph medals, asking the saint to bless their search for land for new convents. 

Growing up Presbyterian, I know very little about saints. I have prayed to St Anthony for assistant in finding lost objects (though it took him awhile to lead us to my rings). I have vague knowledge that there are patron saints of a lot of areas of life, but I never thought there was one for selling your home. And for it to be St Joseph! But I guess it does make sense as he moved his family several times during Jesus' first few years on Earth.

So tonight, we will bury the St Joseph statue in our yard and pray for his assistance. I'm very happy there is a chest sheet with this statue as I wasn't sure how to explain all this to Maggie!

Dear Saint Joseph, God the Father chose you from all the men to be the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus. You cared thoughtfully and wholeheartedly for them while on earth. It was through you that Jesus first learned of His Heavenly Father's gentleness, compassion, protection, and provision. So close were you that He was known simply as the carpenter's son. We now ask your help in these our requests. Please intercede before our Heavenly Father for His protection, provision, and peace.  Help us sell our home and find a new one, suitable for our needs. Grant us harmony and grace in our home, and may we be ever hospitable to family, friends and neighbors. Finally when our life on earth is over, bring us safely to our heavenly home, where at last we shall enjoy joy with you and all the family of God. Amen. 

Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us. Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of a happy home and safeguard of families, pray for us.

Prayer of Unplugging

I need to unplug more, I think! I wrote this on Maggie and my first morning of Girl Scout camp. I was awake before anyone else and just used the time to relish God's beautiful world.

Good morning Lord! I do so love to wake up to this: the birds, the river. I hear you! I want to, need to drink all this in. The morning sun coming over the mountain. The hawk hunting for breakfast. The fog lingering over the mountain, waiting for the sun. The purple and yellow flowers coloring the meadow. I need this. That fresh pine scent covering me, taking me back to other mornings like this in Michigan, Colorado, Virginia, Luccock and now here. The warm smell of coffee (please let there be coffee) that awaits me at breakfast. I need this to refresh my soul. This is amazing. And I am so happy and blessed that You have given us Maggie who also sees this wonder. The clouds drifting, birds perched on the very tops of trees singing to each other. What a blessing to be here.

Unplugging

Today's prompt for your writing and praying is based on Psalm 24:1.

"The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it." (NRSV)

Thank you, Father, for the opportunity to spend some time away from distractions. Away from the things that grab my attention but are not important. Those shiny lights, the squirrels I cannot catch, yet I look to them, regularly. Let this weekend be a renewal for me. My undivided attention to Maggie and to You.

This is my Father's world

And to my listening ear

All nature sings and round me rings

The music of the sphere.

Thanks also to my friend M-L (whom I met on one of my internet distractions), for the inspiration.

Something Like ...

Something like ... fear keeps me from submitting fully
Something like ... awe that You should care so much for someone like me
Something like ... wonder that You can soften this heart

Something like ... contentment lets me know this is Your path

Something like ... love compels me to submit fully

I'm unable to find the prayer-writing prompt that started this one. As usual, I'm sure it was something from Rachel Hackenberg. Her prompts have allowed me to take my prayers to a different level. This is a season of change in the Dailey house. Rocky has accepted his dream job as an assistant professor at South Dakota State University. Maggie is going to summer day camps at the YMCA and is over the moon at the idea of moving to South Dakota to be closer to Grandmas and Grandpas ("Mom, I don't know why we didn't think of this AGES ago.") Jessie just turned 3 and is no longer my baby but a little preschooler. The house is on the market and we are browsing the internet for our new dream home in Brookings South Dakota. I've given notice at work. And am looking forward to this new adventure (even if I'm not totally excited about it, yet). August will come quickly and this will definitely give me new things to write about. The Lord has shown me over and over that this is His path for us, and so I'm stepping out in faith that he has something beyond my dreams waiting for us back in South Dakota. And perhaps I will come to agree with Maggie that we should have done this "ages ago."

Job 14:7-9

Writing prompt:

"There is hope for a tree: if it is cut down,
it will sprout again and its shoots will not cease.
Though its root grows old in the earth and its stump
dies in the ground, yet at the scent of water
it will bud and put forth branches again."
(Job 14:7-9, adapted)

There is hope for the tree
And there is hope for me.

I am not cut down to nothing
I know the water will come
I can rest now.
I can wait in this hallway
For a door
For a window
I will enjoy this wait
I will fill my time
And wait for You.

Because there is hope for the tree
And there is hope for me.

New Things

Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to

the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: "I am the LORD, that is

my name. The former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth, I tell you of them." (Isaiah 42:5 and 8-9, NRSV) 

Write a prayer of preparation for the new things that surely come to each of us, and -- better yet -- for the new things that God has in store for all of creation, the reconciliation and healing that we have not even begun to imagine! I'll be writing my prayer at Faith and Water.

Looking back, I can see

The preparations you began

Many years in the making

And here I am

At the threshold of a new beginning.

Even though I am not sure

Even though I am scared

I hear your call

I heed your voice

I will pack my home, my life

And go where you lead

Final Prayers of Lent: Holy Weekend

Good Friday

The prompt: From the scene of the place called The Skull: "The people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at Jesus, saying, 'He saved others. Let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one!'" (Luke 23:35).  I wonder how those who had been saved by Jesus -- the man healed of leprosy, for example, or the woman whose hemorrhages were healed -- heard those words of ridicule at the crucifixion. I wonder how those who were his disciples and friends reacted to the taunt. Jesus was supposed to save them; that's what a messiah does!

Why didn’t you respond? Why didn’t you show them your power? Who you really were/are? Why did you suffer? I don’t understand why you set all this into motion, why you had to finish it the way you did. But I look to your example, I pray I remember this example, when people scoff at me, when I am tempted to respond. Be with me Lord Jesus and help me to be like you.

Holy Saturday

Today's prayer prompt stems from a scripture reading that caught my attention last night during the Tenebrae service:

"The Son of Man goes as it is written of him,
but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!
It would have been better for that one
not to have been born." (Matthew 26:24)

Did Jesus really say that it was better for Judas (or anyone one of us sinners, really) to have not been born? Such a denial of life from the One who spent his ministry affirming life shocks the soul ... and yet, oddly, I find that it suits our Holy Saturday reflection, because surely the disciples experienced a traumatic denial of what their lives had been about when Jesus died. After he was buried, did they wonder whether it would have been better to never have known Jesus?
In your prayer-writing today, consider the sudden vacuum to life -- the loss of purpose and hope -- that the disciples felt, that you have experienced, that others struggle through.

Would it have been better to not have come here?
Would it have been better to have gone a different direction?
Father, the despair that is so easy to see and feel during those difficult times,
Blessed am I that I have not wished to have not been born
For you have had much planned
If not for this place, would I have the same family?
Would I be the same person?
Thank you, Lord, for the perspective of that loss
When life has lost meaning
When the will to go on is difficult
Yet, each day, we do. We go on.
With you beside us and before us.

Easter Sunday

From Luke's telling of the resurrection story: "Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened." (Luke 24:12, NRSV) Amidst the loud exclamation points of this holy day, I invite you to be still and to find your prayer in the quiet amazement of Easter's good news.

In the stillness of the morning
Frost on the grass
Sun slowly rising
Waking the world to the new day
A different new day
A day unlike all the others
The quiet of that garden
The silence must have been heavy
Looking, hoping, wondering
The silent amazement
The wonder of what had happened
And knowing who you are
Keeping that knowledge inside
For only a short time 
Savoring the Good News
The anticipation of sharing it
In the stillness of the morning
Frost on the grass
Sun slowing rising
Today is a New Day

Holy Week Prayers: Maundy Thursday

 

For the occasion of Maundy Thursday, today our prayers dwell on the last supper shared by Jesus with his friends & followers: "Then Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks,” he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which isgiven for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And he did the samewith the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for youis the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:19-20, NRSV)

Today, write a grace -- a thanksgiving prayer over a meal -- for the Communion meal. I'll be posting my prayer shortly at Faith and Water.

Bless us, Oh Lord,
and this bounty you have provided
Bless us, Oh Lord,
and the employers who give more than a paycheck
Bless us, Oh Lord,
and the teachers who bring a love of learning
Bless us, Oh Lord,
and the cafeteria workers who provide a lunch
Bless us, Oh Lord,
and the day care who provides more than a watchful eye
Bless us, Oh Lord,
as we feast upon hamburgers and french fries instead of bread and wine
Bless us today, Oh Lord,
and each day you give to us.

_____________________________

Side notes about Maundy Thursday. This is one of my favorite minor holy days. I don't know if it is truly minor or not, but I love the party feel that this service typically has. Even though we know what is about to happen in the next 3 days, this feast was a celebration. It was the Passover! I'm sure the meal took a turn for the disciples when Christ switched the tone on them, but I do believe Christ enjoyed the party as much as the others did. I never really knew what "Maundy" meant until recently. Wikipedia explains it like this:

the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John 13:34 by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.

I really like that this is a New Commandment to us and a reminder of what Christ said was the greatest commandment to love each other.

Holy Week Prayers: Day 37

Today I invite you to pray with Jesus in the garden:

"They went to a place called Gethsemane; and Jesus said
to his disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.' He took with him
Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed
and agitated. And he said to them, 'I am deeply grieved,
even to death; remain here & keep awake.'" (Mark 14:32-34)

We are greatly familiar with our own griefs and stresses; what might Jesus' grief and distress have been that night? Can you pray with Jesus through his agony?

 

I find it so hard to pray in the midst of trouble, when I'm knee deep in it. My soul prays, but my brain can't. And I don't know what's coming next. You did. You knew what to expect. You knew how long it would last. You knew exactly what your body would have to endure. You knew exactly how taxing it would be. Yet you went. You cried out to your Father, but you still went. I would have been as dumbfounded as your closest companions, wanting you to fight against it, wanting you to run away. But you knew better. And were still scared. Was there comfort in your friends? Was there comfort in your foreknowledge? Would I been able to provide anything other than my presence? Would that have been enough?

Holy Week Prayers: Day 36

Often at the end, we find ourselves remembering the beginning. "Look: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us." (Matthew 1:23, NRSV)In this Holy Week as we near the end of Jesus' earthly life, pay attention to incarnations of God-with-us. Look around you today. How are you witnessing Christ present with others? Write a prayer for someone you encounter today.

Jesus, you are present with me. I can see your work, your reminders. I want to be like you. I want to lead as you lead. I want to love as you love. Let me show you to others today; let my words be gentle and thoughtful. I have heard your prompting this week. I will follow.

Holy Week Prayers: Day 35

I am reminded of how many turns & surprises the disciples experienced as they walked with and listened to Jesus during the final days before his crucifixion. Even small talk about architecture took an unexpected turn: "When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, 'As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.'" (Luke 21:5-6, NRSV)

Why am I amazed when you provide in a way I didn't expect?
Why am I surprised when you answer a prayer?
Why am I so slow to see your hand at work?
You continue to amaze me
You do not leave a single stone unturned, with all the messiness beneath
Yet that messiness is necessary to get me where you need me.

I have prayed for you to put me where you need me.
And then I am upset when you do so

Let this change be pleasing to you
Let this be the step
Let me blossom into the person you need me to be
Let this be an amazing unexpected turn

Holy Week Prayers: Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday Prompt:
In Luke's telling of the triumphant entrance and palm parade in Jerusalem, the disciples shout, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!" When the Pharisees insist to Jesus that the disciples keep quiet, he replies, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." (Luke 19:38-40)

A question for your reflection, creativity and prayer: what would the stones shout?

Why are you silent?

Why do you not cry out?

Do you not see who is here?

Our Lord, Jesus, has arrived!

He is here to change the world!

Do not keep silent!

Cry Out!

Shout!

Hallellujah!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

40 Prayers of Lent: Day 30

Before I get into my prayer writing, I can't believe we are already on day 30 of Lent. Palm Sunday is 5 short days away. And then Easter. Easter will be different this year as we will not be home. This will be the first year we are not at FUMC for Easter since we joined the church. This will be my first secular Easter in a very long time. I love Easter Sunday services. I love the old hymns, "Up from the Grave, "Christ the Lord has Risen Today" and of course the "Hallalujah Chorus." I'd love to sing more from "The Messiah" at Easter, but it seems to have a firm place at Christmas time. I think I will really miss service this year as it feels like a true new beginning. Maybe we can find a sunrise service to sneak off to.

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Today's prompt: What metaphor would you use to describe how you connect to God? As a headphones plugged into the heart of music? As a branch connected to the life of a vine?

In the stillness
In the quiet
You speak directly to me
But I keep moving
Keep going
And forget to stop and wait
I need to find the place
Where you are waiting for me
In the stillness
In the quiet
Bring me to that secret place
Where we can meet
Reconnect
And I can feel your peace
In the stillness
In the quiet

40 Prayers of Lent: Fifth Sunday in Lent

From Jesus' parable of the banquet in Luke 14: "Then the banquet host said to his servant, 'Go out into the roads and lanes, and bring people in so that my house may be filled.'" (Luke 14:23, adapted from the NRSV).  Who needs an invitation to "come in" from being outcast and shunned? Is it someone you've excluded, or is there someone you've noticed who feels uncertain about participating? Are you the one who needs an invitation to "come in" to be nurtured and filled?

The great banquet

All are invited.

"Come to my table

There is room for all.

None will be turned away."

As I come to the feast

Who do I bring?

Whom have I forgotten?

Whom have I left behind in my haste?

I shall keep my eyes on Him

But do not let me forget those around me.

My family, my friends, my neighbors

Come to the table he set

Come with your eyes set on him

Come to the feast of Christ

 

 

Here is a link to Rachel's prayer.

40 Prayers of Lent, Day 25

At the outset of 1 Corinthians 15, there is a delightful sentence that illustrates the movement and involvement of the good news:

"Now I remind you, brothers and sisters, of the
good news that I proclaimed and you received,
in which you also stand and through which
you continue to be saved." (15:1-2, adapted)

The good news of grace & life is not only proclaimed and received; it moves in and through, it surrounds beneath and among, we stand in it and we live through it. What the gospel does (what God does) is expressed in verbs, but the movement of the gospel/God requires prepositions.

 

 So close to St. Patrick's Day, I can't help but go to the prayer attributed to the saint himself:

 

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

 

 Cheating in my prayer writing? Perhaps, but a comforting prayer nonetheless.

40 Prayers of Lent: Day 24

Our prayer prompt begins with Mark 13:28-29 (NRSV): "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he [the Son of Man] is near."  A warm rain is pouring down in south-central Pennsylvania today; even though the rain makes the day dreary, I am delighted by the reminder that it's time for spring! What time is it in your life, and what are the signs?

Every day I look for the signs:
Where do you need me?
Where do you want me?
What direction are you taking me?
Am I even using the right map?
I want to be where you need me,
yet I am uneasy, uncomfortable

Then I remember
I'm not home yet
I'm supposed to be uneasy
Uncomfortable
I'm not supposed to see the map
But I know my final destination.
I must trust that your gentle nudges
(2x4s to the head)
Will keep me on your path
As I continue to navigate this crazy world.

40 Prayers of Lent; Days 22 & 23

Saturday's prompt: "As for me, I walk in my integrity; redeem me, O LORD, and be gracious to me" (Psalm 26:11, NRSV). Isn't this a reflection of our daily aim: to live true to ourselves and to God's call, and to know God's grace in our lives?

Be kind to me today, oh Lord, as I attempt to walk in your light.
Be merciful to me, oh Lord, when I forget
I seek your grace, every day, and every day I forget
Let me be kind
Let me be merciful
Let me be gracious
As you are gracious to me.

_______________________________________________________


Monday's prompt: From The Message, the opening verses of Psalm 104 read: "O my soul, bless God! God, my God, how great you are: beautifully robed, dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds, and took off on wind-wings."

Where are you seeing God today? Is God putting on a fashion show with the morning sunrise? Is God drawing on the sky with jet trails?

Where are you today? As I sit in my office, in the basement, away from your amazing world, I must seek you in the world that man  has made. I listen to "Christian" music, seeking "inspiration." Yet it feels dull. It doesn't feel real. It feels fake. So many times I am fake. I have the "Christian" look. I say the "Christian" things. And yet, am I saying the right things so I will fit in? So others will see how "holy" I am?

Show me where you are today, even within this man made place with artificial light and artificial noise and artificial space. Let my inspiration come from you. Let my mind be filled with you for your sake. Not for accolades. Not for me. Only for you.